18.1 Description of the Interface Builder

The Interface Builder has three views that help you to design a window.

The
layouts view is used to specify the elements in each window or dialog of an application.

The
menus view is used to create menus and menu items for each window of an application.

The
code view
lets you examine the source code that is automatically generated as you create an interface.

The Interface Builder has its own menu bar, containing commands that let you work with a loaded interface, or any of its components.

To create an Interface Builder, choose
Tools > Interface Builder from the podium.

Figure 18.1 The Interface Builder

Because the Interface Builder generates source code which uses the CAPI library, this chapter assumes at least a minimum knowledge of the CAPI. See the LispWorks
CAPI User Guide
and the LispWorks
CAPI Reference Manual
for details.

A complete example showing you how to use the Interface Builder to design an interface, and how to integrate the design with your own code, is given in Example: Using The Interface Builder. You are strongly advised to work through this example after reading this chapter, or in conjunction with it.